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Senate President Highlights Utah—s Low Drunk-Driving Death Rate, Urges Continued Excellence Before Adjournment
Summary
In brief closing remarks during the May 10, 2012 extraordinary session, the presiding officer recounted attending a legislative leaders forum, highlighted Highway Safety Office findings that Utah has a low rate of alcohol-related traffic deaths, commented on pension reform and the Castle Doctrine, recognized senators' birthdays, and then the Senate adjourned.
SALT LAKE CITY — As the extraordinary session concluded May 10, 2012, the Senate—s presiding officer reflected on recent conferences and state policy achievements, urged members to continue a theme of public service excellence and closed the floor.
The presiding officer said he and Senator Romero had attended the State Legislative Leaders Forum and distributed a Pew Center handout noting that public opinion toward government had eased somewhat. He thanked members for a gift and recognition presented at the end of the regular session and asked colleagues to continue "being the best that we can be."
Citing a Highway Safety Office bulletin titled "Hot Topic," the presiding officer said Utah has been ranked the lowest percentage of traffic deaths due to drunk drivers for 14 of the 16 years from 1995 through 2010. "If there was a championship for having the lowest percent of deaths due to drunk drivers, then Utah would have won it 14 of the last 16 years," he said on the floor, calling the statistics "pretty impressive."
He also described pension-reform discussions at the conference and contrasted steps taken in Rhode Island with reforms Utah enacted two years earlier, saying Rhode Island—s actions provided only a short reprieve compared with "the reform that the Utah legislature did 2 years ago." He referred to classroom conversations with students about the Rayvon Martin situation and Utah—s Castle Doctrine, saying the students' opinions evolved during discussion and that the law was "well reasoned."
The presiding officer related a brief constituent interaction with a deployed service member seeking help with a deployment issue; he said the matter exceeded state authority but that he provided suggestions and the constituent thanked him for a timely response.
After recognizing seven senators with recent birthdays and arranging a photo on the dais, Senator Jenkins moved that the Senate "adjourn and sign the die." The presiding officer called the voice vote, declared the motion carried and adjourned the extraordinary session.
The session completed the specific business named in the governor's proclamation and concluded without additional votes or follow-up items scheduled on the floor.
